Is Delaware as Boring as people Say it is? (Wilmington: appointed, spring break)

[doctorjef]

I think there may be a misunderstanding here. I think what people have been saying is that DE is a relatively better place to live for somewhat older, settled folks, but possibly not so great for young adults.

I really think what it boils down to in large part is this: if you need a highly developed urban environment and lifestyle to be happy, you are likely to find DE boring. If you enjoy things that don't depend on a lot of urban stimulation, you are likely to be relatively happier here. There are other factors, of course, but I think these would be key for many people.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by from PA

I have to disagree with this area not good for anyone over 40. Sure, if you live in a + 55 community, that would be the case. Now I am well over 40 but live in a community of single family homes. Our community has open space behind our homes. The area has a bike/ walking path and our neighbors play badminton, field hockey, football and baseball right in their back yards. When my grand kiddies come to visit, they have playmates and we often fly kites right in our back yard. Traffic is a problem where they live and this gives them a safe place to ride and play.

The beaches are the same distance for the younger set as they are for the seniors. Again, I feel it is an unjust statement to make for people under 40 . I do feel we need a community pool for families. Killen's Pond State Park is nearby but it gets very crowded at the pool in the summer. No matter where I lived in the Philly burbs, I always had to drive to the grocery store and the mall. Most families are used to that and dropping their kiddies off to go bowling, ice skating, roller skating , or bowling is no big deal.

Caesar Rodney is the school district which is preferable over Capital. this comes from my neighbors who are teachers in the district and also the consensus on this forum.


Yes, do visit and see for yourself that this area has something for everyone, not just seniors.

I am very glad to have been raised in a small town in Delaware and am happy to be doing the same thing in Pennsylvania. My kids will tell you that they enjoy(ed) it also. There is a lot to be said for a family oriented community.

[virgode]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

I think there may be a misunderstanding here. I think what people have been saying is that DE is a relatively better place to live for somewhat older, settled folks, but possibly not so great for young adults.

I really think what it boils down to in large part is this: if you need a highly developed urban environment and lifestyle to be happy, you are likely to find DE boring. If you enjoy things that don't depend on a lot of urban stimulation, you are likely to be relatively happier here. There are other factors, of course, but I think these would be key for many people.

My reason for starting a new thread is for those who may be considering a move or visit, to see what there is good about the state rather than the defense stand point.

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by virgode

My reason for starting a new thread is for those who may be considering a move or visit, to see what there is good about the state rather than the defense stand point.

And that is a good thing virgode. Good to hear all different opinions. not everyone will agree and that is okay.
Best advice to come and see for yourself. Check out the area and find out what is hear.
It is a good family life If you have a job. I Don't think jobs in central and southern DE are plentyful unless you dont' mind the drive to Northern DE.

Good luck to you

[1WVULAWGRAD]

I am a young married guy who visits Delaware and Maryland's eastern shore to see the inlaws. It is quite boring. However, I look forward to driving by the rustic scenery when we visit. I can usually only take this for a few days. Doc is right. Raleigh is a great area. I am thinking of moving my family back there after I graduate. However, Austin is kinda pricey and from what I am hearing from friends pretty hard to find a job there. You might as well come down south. All of your friends are. lol. If you are really feeling froggy, I say make the move to the Big Terrible (Texas, that is). Where I am most likely headed.

[LauraC]

You might want to ask yourself (not you, personally but people in general) why some states have a higher cost of living the next time you vote and please don't bring that mentality to the cheaper states to make them expensive like the places you are fleeing. The rest of us don't want to be California or New York, for example.

I visited Cape Henlopen State Park about a week and a half ago and it was nice but I didn't notice any upscale apartment complexes, in that area, if you are a renter. I've been to Dover several times over the last 12 or so years when I lived in Maryland. Doesn't strike me as a place for singles but I could be wrong.

I would never suggest Baltimore (crime, roads, public schools) for anyone.

Don't know where your friends and family are but consider that and think about being within a day or two's driving distance.

[doctorjef]

If I had relatives around the lower DE shore and eastern shore of MD, I think I would find the Wilmington area preferable to Morgantown, WV in terms of urban amenities and milder winters. I mean, if you are motivated to see those relatives easily and fairly frequently. Especially if you aren't single, I think Wilmington could be ok. I would expect that good jobs are somewhat difficult to come by in DE right now, just as about everywhere else during this economic cycle.

Just a word about economics in Austin. As long as I have been familiar with it, the private sector in Austin has tended to operate on rather dramatic boom and bust cycles. Getting a good paying private sector job there can either be very easy or rather difficult, depending on where the economic cylce is at any given time. However, Austin being the state capital also means that there is a large government/public sector whose employment is not so affected by overall cycles in the economy. While DE state government has been seriously affected by economic vicissitudes, this isn't true for Texas, due to the nature of its tax base.

[doctorjef]

You know I was just over on the Austin, TX forum, where I sometimes respond to threads since I lived there for 19 years (22 years if you add in my previous time at university there). The vibrancy and diversity of that one city forum can be contrasted with the DE forum for a whole state. So many of the threads here seem to be about retirement, the fine points of real estate developments in obscure Sussex County locations, and the perceived shortcomings of DE. It's rather depressing that there's apparently so little going on here. Since the population of New Castle County is larger than that of Austin, TX, you would think that the whole DE forum should be able to generate as much traffic as the Austin forum. It just seems to say that DE isn't a very "happening" place.

Just my two pence.

[Charley]

Perhaps people would post most often here if they weren't made to feel so uncomfortable by others who belittle their posts or question their intelligence. Being kind and welcoming to those who participate might do wonders for both the content and the ambiance. Just MY two cents.

[doctorjef]

No, I don't think that's it, Charley.